


Getting Down

by thealphagate_archivist



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-03-03
Updated: 2009-03-03
Packaged: 2019-02-02 11:52:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12726141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thealphagate_archivist/pseuds/thealphagate_archivist
Summary: SG-1 do not have fun on this meet and greet with a hostile species.





	Getting Down

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the archivists: this story was originally archived at [The Alpha Gate](https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Alpha_Gate), a Stargate SG-1 archive, which began migration to the AO3 in 2017 when its hosting software, eFiction, was no longer receiving support. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2017. We e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are this creator and it hasn't transferred to your AO3 account, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Alpha Gate collection profile](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/thealphagate).
> 
>  **Author's notes:** Takes place during season 1.

How the hell was he going to get down.

Daniel Jackson sighed and somersaulted weightlessly through the air of PXA-119 wishing that he hadn't eaten lunch. “Um, guys, somebody get me down please,” he said to his team mates twenty feet below.

“Hang on Daniel, We'll think of something!” said Jack, as he finished anchoring the rest of the team to the DHD with his rope.

Sam was complaining loudly as she searched through her backpack, snatching at things that threatened to float away. “This, just isn't possible, sir. It doesn't make any sense at all.”

“Just pass me any rope you've got Captain,” said Jack trying not to grin. If the situation wasn't so weird he'd be teasing her and Daniel for the hedgehog hairstyles that weightlessness gave them. Maybe he would later; after they got Daniel down.

“Why me,” complained Daniel just loudly enough to carry down to his team. Teal'c had managed to snag Sam as they had stepped out into virtually zero gravity and Jack had managed to keep himself down near the ground somehow. But Daniel had stepped through with a wild yelp and tried to grab hold of something. Instead he'd ended up with enough momentum to send him twenty feet above the gate. Stupid. Now his glasses were gone, and he was floating up, up and away. And beginning to panic. He wind milled his arms trying to swim himself downward and ended up floating even higher up instead.

“Stop moving Daniel!” said Sam. “There *is* some gravity and you should eventually start floating downward if you can keep still.” 

“Keeping still,” said Daniel. Anything, as long as he headed down instead of up. He closed his eyes, trying to relax and go with the flow, so to speak. He tried to convince himself that it was actually quite a pleasant experience; floating around, feeling almost completely weightless despite having a loaded backpack on. He just wished he was floating a lot closer to the ground and not way, way up here. Okay. That was a mistake. He concentrated on *not* doing the hyperventilating, full blown panic thing. Jack already thought of him as a geek, and he wasn't going to show him what a wuss he could be as well. 

Time to think about something else. Why did stupid things always seen to happen to him? How come he was the only one floating around? After a dozen or more trips through the Stargate he'd started getting used to the differences when stepping out onto other worlds. Sometimes the differences were huge - like twin suns in the sky, but mostly they were only minor, like different scents, or gravity. It was the gravity thing that he'd had the most problem with the first few times through the gate. These days, he listened to the MALP reports, figuring out what to anticipate so he didn't stumble and fall flat on his nose when coming through into different conditions. Daniel did another slow somersault and swallowed down bile. He'd stepped through this Gate prepared to feel about 10 pounds heavier than usual - not weightless! 

Maybe he hadn't been concentrating at the briefing when Sam read out the MALP readings. He'd thought the gravity here was supposed to be heavier than Earth's. Stupid Daniel, just stupid. Maybe he'd screwed up again. Maybe he'd let himself get too hung up about stepping through the Gate without stumbling. He had to be prepared for anything, like the rest of the team. That was why he was the only idiot floating around needing rescue – again. He couldn't afford to get kicked off the team for being a clumsy idiot. When was he going to learn?

In the distance he could see the bubble like structures that had gotten Sam so excited about this world. Definatly advanced. Definatly not Goa'uld. Daniel wished he hadn't lost his glasses. He thought he could make out some moving shapes near the largest bubble.

“Daniel, try to catch the rope,” said Jack.

Daniel blinked down at the blurred shapes below him. Something hit him across the chest. He reached for it and accidentally knocked it away instead. “Might be easier if I could see it, Jack,” called Daniel. The impact had shifted him and now he was floating in an easterly direction instead of just upward.

“We'll keep trying 'till we've got you. Just do your best,” said Jack.

“O'Neill,” said Teal'c, “Something approaches.”

Jack turned from coiling in the rope. In the sky flying towards them from the bubble structures were several red shapes. For a moment he thought they were machines of some sort but then he spotted the blurring of wings above the closest one. Damn. Giant red insects. So not good.

“Jaaack,” said Daniel pointing to the red shapes.

“Daniel, company's coming. I'm gonna throw the rope again, aiming for your chest. In three, okay?”

Daniel waited for his somersault to spin him in the correct direction and snatched for the rope. It hit him across the thigh instead, and ricocheted away, pushing him further eastward, and away from his team.

“Damn it, sorry Daniel, I'll try again,” said Jack trying to regain his footing.

“Colonel, those ... beings have wings,” said Carter.

“Uh-huh,” said Jack, coiling in the rope as fast as he could.

“But, ...” she frowned, glancing up at Daniel and then at the flying creatures. “This must be like... , Sam thumped the DHD excitedly. “It's just localised in a small area, sir. It's like our iris. Wow the technology this place must have. They trap anyone coming through the gate in a field with no gravity, while outside the field, gravity is norm...” A loud buzzing sound drowned out the rest of her sentence. 

Jack dropped the rope and snatched at his M16. He turned to see the first of eight flying insect like creatures holding position about thirty feet from Daniel. The creature was about 14 feet long with two sets of enormous buzzing wings. Enormous bulging eyes protruded from a praying mantis like head, with a sharp tubular protrusion where the mouth should be. The rest of it resembled a giant fly except for the six frog like limbs complete with digits. It carried some sort of weapon in two of its limbs, aimed menacingly at the team. A stand off. Also not good.

“Hello,” said Daniel trying to twist himself around to face the creature. “Um, we're peaceful ...”

A loud, high pitched squeal split the air. Daniel jammed his hands over his ears in agony. Inside his mind he got a momentary image of the team from a multifaceted aerial view, and another image of the Gate opening. “Ouch,” he said noticing immediately that his hearing had taken some damage and his voice sounded distant and muffled. “Um, yes,” said Daniel, jamming fingers into his ears and panting through the pain. He spared a glance down at his reeling team mates and turned to the creature. “We're peaceful explorers, we came through the stargate ...”

Another squeal, louder than the last.

Daniel cried out in agony. Down at ground level he could see the others writhing in pain. Jack was struggling to keep them covered with his weapon.

Some of the other insects approached squealing at the first one. Daniel could see the edge of blackness creeping over his vision, as he was hit by multiple layers of telepathic messages.

Jack dropped his weapon and sagged against the DHD as he felt his eardrums burst. Distantly he could hear the screams of pain from his team mates. He jammed fingers into his ears feeling the wet stickiness of blood that had begun to trickle out of them under the assault.

The first creature screeched again asking for silence and then squealed a message into Daniel. Daniel fought to stay conscious as an image of the gate appeared again, this time with the team leaving through it, and yep, there was definatly a feeling of threat attached to the message.

“You ... you want us to leave,” said Daniel. He spared a glance downward, seeing that Sam appeared unconscious.

One of the other insects sent a message to it's companions. Daniel could see/feel the question it had asked. It was wondering if Sam had died and would be left behind and if her bodily juices were tasty or not.

“Okay, um,” Daniel fought to control his stomach. “We'll be leaving as soon as ...” Abruptly Daniels' body began tilting as a stinging sensation swept up his body. Daniel had only a moment to realise that he was passing through some sort of energy field before he let out a terrified yell and felt himself falling.

******************  
Jack swallowed convulsively trying to keep himself from throwing up all over Carter as the telepathic crap ripped up his brain cells. Throwing up would not be good – especially in near zero gravity. But there was Daniel doing the meet and greet routine, holding it together in the hopes of making valuable allies and Jack was amazed anew by the kids toughness. 

Carter sagged lightly against him. She drifted slowly to the dirt, unconscious. Jack shuffled himself around, wedged himself against the DHD and pressed a knee over her bleeding exposed ear trying to protect her from the screeching. That was it. He'd have to scrub this mission until they could come back better prepared – with huge ear muffs and loads of asprin or something. He'd opened his mouth to pass on his decision when he heard Daniel give a terrified cry. 

Thump! Daniel slammed hard onto the stone covered ground twenty feet away and was still.

One of the other insects touched a small control box and abruptly Jack had weight again. With shaking fingers Jack untied the rope anchoring him to the DHD. Teal'c worked at the other end of the rope and bent unsteadily to gather up his staff weapon.

Jack gave the insect leader a wary glare and stepped quickly over to Daniel. He rolled the kid carefully onto his back, and did a quick assessment. Blood seeped from a gash along the edge of Daniel's scalp. His ears were also bleeding and, hell, blood was soaking into Daniel's sleeve. A ragged tear in it revealed a piece of arm bone sticking through. “Damn it to hell you could have caught him!” shouted Jack.

A screech sounded again. A telepathic image of the team leaving through the Gate followed by another image of the insects gathering around to drain the fluids from Daniels' and Carters' bodies.

Jack took the hint: leave now or be lunch. At least he hoped it was a hint. Maybe they were asking him to leave Daniel and Carter behind as lunch. Jack gathered up Daniels' body carefully, and backed away.

“Dial up the gate Teal'c. To hell with any alliance, with these bugs. Let's get these kids home to Dr Fraisier.”


End file.
